Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, July 6, 1983
Controversy continues over Carter papers
*
by Helen Thomas
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Much as the
White House wishes it will all go away, the
furor over the purloined Carter debate
briefing papers is not expected to die
down immediately.
At his news conference, President
Reagan was bombarded with questions
about the proprietary of his aides in
obtaining and using documents that were
prepared for President Carter for his de
bate with Reagan.
But he deftly sidestepped the issue of
whether it was right or wrong.
At the same time, Reagan said that
politics “should be above reproach.”
Meanwhile, Carter aides are suggest
ing that “dirty tricks” may have been in
volved.
Around Washington, speculation runs
rampant on who might have passed the
documents to the Reagan camp.
So far, no one has come forward to
claim the honor. Nor has the White
House identified, publicly at least, any
one who might have had a hand in secur
ing the secret papers on strategy and tac
tics.
The mystery is how four administra
tion officials could have received such
papers without anyone recalling how
they got them.
Reagan himself said that he did not
know that they existed and only learned
about them from reports in the press.
Capitol Hill life differs
little from state legislature
by Ira R. Allen
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Most of the old
Southern power barons who made laws
in back rooms over bourbon and bran-
chwater are gone, but Capitol Hill still is a
plantation.
The Greek columns, the lush greens
wards swarming with plebian tourists,
the patricians who orate at length on the
Senate floor, the backslapping and
camaraderie, the amiable way a congress
man will chat with anyone who recog
nizes him.
Staff members are paid whatever their
lords and masters want to pay. There are
no equal opportunity or health and safe
ty laws that apply, and good field hands
are rewarded with comfortable, high-
paying jobs close to the power.
The outward serenity of life on the
Hill can mask the rampant ambition that
causes each of the 100 senators to look in
Namely, anything newsworthy
that happens in Washington or
the rest of the world can be
learned within 45 minutes on the
Hill.
either starts in Congress or finds its way
there in a hurry, and most issues take at
least 10 years from inception to final ac
tion, generating more accusations, hear
ings, debates and recriminations than
can be consumed.
Ending a six-year term covering the
Senate, I have been blessed with good
stories — not so much the budget and tax
and defense battles, nor the social issues
of abortion and school prayer. But what
raw meat did come from feuds between
senators, or rackets committee hearings
with hooded witnesses and testimony
that Jimmy Hoffa was “ground into little
pieces like hamburger and dumped in a
swamp.”
Even a story on the impeccably tended
Capitol gardens produced a truism:
“They spread 40 tons of fertilizer on
Capitol Hill every year, and that doesn’t
even include what’s in the Congressional
Record.”
Beyond the stories themselves, what
will be missed is the collection of silver-
tongued devils who provide the press gal
leries with memorable words and enter
taining orations; people such as Pat
Moynihan, Bob Dole, Howard Baker,
Barry Goldwater, Orrin Hatch, Charles
Mathias, Alan Simpson, Bill Proxmire,
Ted Stevens and Paul Tsongas.
Early in my career, I was sent to cover
the mirror each morning and see a future
president of the United States. Or at least
hear the staff sharecroppers tell him so.
Covering Congress is a reporter’s
dream — regular hours, long vacations
when members leave for “district work
periods” and, above all, the eagerness
with which 535 lawmakers and 20,000
staff members will talk.
... things aren’t all that different
on Capitol Hill than in the state
legislatures that are so often
laughed at.
Since everyone has an ax to grind for
his boss, the truth quotient is lower than a
reporter might like, but the sheer volume
of documents, press releases and leakers
amounts to an embarrassment of riches
■— so much so that a good part of any day
is spent gleefully batting information
away.
I he ease with which information can
be obtained led to a formulation by this
columnist that should be of help to new
comers in the Capitol press corps. Name
ly, anything newsworthy that happens in
Washington or the rest of the world can
be learned within 45 minutes on the Hill.
If a rumor cannot be confirmed in that
time span, it simply is not true.
the Maryland legislature and given direc
tions — “look for the cash register with a
dome.”
After reporting on these congression
al creatures for precisely the length of a
senator’s term, I have been gradually dis
illusioned, mostly because things aren’t
all that different on Capitol Hill than in
the state legislatures that are so often
laughed at.
Like any rule, there is an exception.
For those not favored by the well-aimed
leak, it did become impossible to confirm
last fall that Sen. Edward Kennedy was
indeed dropping out of the presidential
race. Thus, an important corollary to the
theory is that a scoop can last only 45
minutes, except when it involves Con
gress itself.
Capitol Hill is a breeder reactor of
good stories. Every imaginable issue
The members frequently are state-
house alumni all too willing to barter
their statesmanship for campaign contri
butions. Too many continue to indulge in
petty egotism and ask, “What’s in it for
me?” instead of “What’s good for the
country?”
The ground rules are the same as in
the state capitals. It just takes more clout
to hit one out of the ballpark.
Personalities loom larger than issues,
which is understandable because a politi-
can can change his stripes but not his
character.
They are, in sum, just like your town
council members or delegates to your
general assembly —just a little bit smar
ter and a whole lot luckier.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
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Editor. HopeE. Paasch
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Photographers
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Barry Papke
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White House aides are chagrined. De
puty press secretary Larry Speakes first
dismissed the briefing book questions,
saying there was no inquiry in the White
House. Then he passed off the issue as
Around Washington, specula
tion runs rampant on who might
have passed the documents to the
Reagan camp.
not aid Reagan in the debate with Carter
and that he would have triumphed
anyway.
On that score, the president got a boost
from Speaker Thomas O’Neill who
agreed that Reagan would have won the
election because Carter was unpopular,
he said. He also seemed to agree with the
president that it was “much ado about
nothing.”
by
something that is “done in politics,” and
not too unusual.
But some aides wish they had never
seen the papers. They insist that they did
Nevertheless, questions remain un
answered, and with the Justice Depart
ment conducting an inquiry, it appears
the White House will be answering more
questions as time goes one.
Carter aides are saying they believe
that more than the debate books left their
_ ign premises. If that is t,
plot will thicken.
The president, meanwhile saw
ethical question: “I think thatca!
mg has always, in the eyes of the™
had a kind of a double stand '> s Ed ^
have deplored it. And there areil ^
pie who’ve said — people that are
wise totally honest — have said,
they hear about something, they’,
“Oh well, you know, politics.’
“Well, 1 don’t happen to befe
tics should have a double standai
said. “No. I think it should beal
proach. And there shouldn’tbeun
things done in campaigns, ever,
things as accusing the other candi
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Drunk grillers present safety hazard
Council issues barbeque warnin)
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The National
Safety Council recently unburdened it
self of a list o£ tips on how to survive
backyard barbecuing, cautioning, among
other things, against “drunken grilling.”
Here truly is a hazardous activity that
cries out for accident prevention hints. I
commend the safety council both for its
timeliness and for having the courage to
take on one of this country’s greatest
public menaces.
“Never use an outdoor grill indoors,”
the council admonishes.
That warning is particularly applic
able if the grill happens to be attached to
a brick patio wall.
Even if you are an experienced barbe
cue chef, you need professional help in
moving brick grills indoors. I’ve seen en
tire patio walls collapse as a result of inept
masonary work in detaching grills.
Also, setting up a grill indoors without
consulting other members of the house
hold as to location can be extremely dan-
drunken grilling where the council really
shines.
Most states and municipalities have
laws that cover the nasty situations that
can arise from letting drunks have access
to charcoal cookers — setting the carport
afire, asphyxiating neighborhood chil
dren, etc.
These, however, are after-the-fact
pieces of legislation. To my knowledge,
there has never been a concerted, pre
ventive campaign aimed at keeping
drunks from getting behind the grill in
the first place.
sorts of diasters can have occurre
wit:
Most cookouts begin as friendly, social
affairs. But how many times has the en
vironment become ominous because the
person in charge of barbecuing shish
kebabs had too many gin-and-tonics be
fore attempting to light the charcoal.
gerous.
It is, however, the exhortation against
The least that can happen is a loss of
coordination. The rice is done and get
ting cold long before the chunks of lamb
are even taken out of the marinade.
By the time the meat finally has been
skewered and is ready for the grill, all
ia
MPH
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ie sei
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Arl
beca
est F;
—The drunk behind thegrillaiif | Merr
to prepare the charcoal by saturate I whi
briquettes with tonic water teadofli
fluid. +
—The drunk behind the grill,
ing as bartender, uses lighter fluic f
mixer, leading some guests to com 1
that someone is spiking the pun® oT
—The drunk behind the grille A, X
the carport roof upon which c
climbed to reach a mimosa limb," 1 United
insists will impart a delicious, snio' .
vor to the shish kebab. He is not in 5 . ^
in the fall, but two guests who are ^ ^
ing gin and lighter fluid faint dea • S( j a y ^
prompting a quick call to the iking r
squad. Ration
The worst peril of all is the pi 0S F ac
dining at midnight on the remains netoc .
becued shish kebab that was supp ii rs C01
be served at 8 p.m. . , Don
By that time, a person is mean’;
enough to eat anything, inclu i S e was
ashes. I trust the Environmenta - nc i
tion Agency will join the Nationa
Council in this crusade.
City runners face unique problems
by Fred T. Ferguson
United Press International
NEW YORK — Harried is the heckled
runner.
City running implies you puff harder
than joggers. To say, “we run,” is ego-
inflating — until walkers pass you by. .
All the world seems bound to punc
ture the runner’s inflated ego — except
runners.
paper bag. Then they come at you — a
step or two.
Obstructionists are another matter.
Try to pass phalanxes of mailmen trund
ling carts or mothers pushing strollers.
Squeezing by brings imprecations
from these gentle walkers. So does “par-
dog’s owner blamed the bark on^|
There are the kibbitzers. They are
concerned about you. They come in cate
gories:
Physical — “You’re going to ruin
yourself.”
Fitness freak — “You should lift
weights, too.”
Weight watchers — “You won’t lose a
pound.”
Environmentalist — “You’re filling
your lungs with pollution.”
Medical — “You’re a sure bet for a
heart attack.”
Clothes conscious — “You look dis
gusting in that.”
Speed nut — “You’ll get there faster in
a cab.”
Many kibbitzers are derelicts. Some
runners say they are all derelicts.
Derelicts have it in for runners — par
ticularly runners whojump over sleeping
derelicts.
Derelicts have been known to chase
runners. They fortify themselves with
nasty sayings and a gulp from a bottle in a
One thing cuts a runner to the
core — when a traffic officer
bawls a runner out for crossing
with the light through traffic in
gridlock.
eyed setter. “Bad dog! Bad dog
he said. , &
One thing cuts a runner to
when a traffic officer bawls a ru
for crossing with the light throug ^
in gridlock. The cut goes deepe
drivers cheer the cop. , . ^
Running takes time — tune
M
thougl
don me.” Some runners shout back. Wal
kers seldom give chase.
Cabbies and runners don’t get along,
either. Cabbies block crosswalks to let off
passengers. Try shouting, “Why don’t
you learn to drive?” This brings exple
tives in response. Misery loves company.
The cabby’s misery can be mollifying to
the deflated runner.
Barking dogs plague runners. One
runner I know barks back. Some dog
owners don’t like this infringement of
barking rights. They howl.
Elated by the commotion caused, our
barking runner began barking first —
once to a sedate Irish Setter. Some dogs
have no soul. They don’t bark back.
The runner’s friend, trotting some
what behind, caught up to report the
tion on the plight and perils o
Some say it could be better
runners say they think deep
the fly. _ eI <
Cars that barely miss rU p
worthy of such thoughts. A p u ^
fender turns thought to action ^
a bang bringing a look of ang^ 1
driver. But it takes a painfu
fender is harder than hand.
Another thought while
do some women run without j
Women who run with bras
who don’t, don’t to attract atte
subject has been surveyed by .
ners. They say more study i s 1 ^
Some runners seek esca l? e a( jp:
this thinking. They weal
radios. Absorbed in stereop
honit’
into'
they have been known to run ,
into — things. Actually these p
just joggers.
Runners’ solace can be ^
watching. Some say you can
how 1
ter walking. It depends on - ^
people you want to see — if y° u
runner.